This talk will present an overview of two sediment records collected from marl lakes in Newfoundland, Canada. 

Marl lakes contain authigenic carbonate minerals, formed by precipitation from high alkalinity waters, that records past change in lake water chemistry.  Stable oxygen isotope analysis of the carbonate lake sediments provides an archive of past changes in the chemistry of precipitation, which in turn reflects shifts in atmospheric circulation, temperatures, and the seasonality of precipitation. 

Lake hydrology modelling is used to quantify the sensitivity of the study lakes to climate forcing.  Results from these studies include 1) a ~10,200-year century scale resolution paleorecord that documents early to middle Holocene climate conditions and 2) a ~5,000-year decadal scale resolution paleorecord that documents late Holocene climate conditions.  Collectively, these semi-quantitative paleoclimate records provide an important long-term perspective and comparison to the instrumental record of climate.  

Results from these studies highlight the sensitivity of terrestrial climate conditions over the Holocene (the last 11,700 years) in Newfoundland to changes in the extent of ice sheets, offshore sea surface temperatures and sea ice, and orbital variations in insolation.  In addition, paleoclimate data provides context to human occupation on the island, including the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America at L’Anse aux Meadows.